Mini Rollar Derby

Jazza groaned while staring at the clothes in her closet. What the hell was she gonna wear? Nothing in her wardrobe seemed good enough.

Ugh. If only she had some cutt offs... Jazza blinked. Jesseye did. She poked her head out of her room and glanced causiously around. A soft giggle flowed through the air. The TV shined some ancient cartoon show. She was probably safe ta sneak upstairs. The creaks of the wooden stairs jarred her nerves, but safely, she made it up.

"Gimmee a second, Shaney shane bear, I'll grab a blanket."

'Crap, crap, crap, crap,' Jazza clenched the jean shorts in her hand, panicking as her light skinned sister jogged up the stairs.

Jesseye snickered when she found the slightly older woman hiding in her closet. She glanced to down the garment in her hands. "You know those won't fit, right?"

She scoffed and sauntered into the open as if she owned the place, "What chu talkin about?"

Jesseye hopped up to knock down her favorite blanky before answering, "I *meaann*, you're not my waist size, Jazzy."

The dark skinned woman huffed, placed a hand on her hip, and swiped her hair out of her face, "You sayin I'm *fat*?"

She gulped and shook her head several times, "No, i mean," Jesseye hugged her fluffy blanky tightly for comfort,"We're just.. You're bigger--"

"Bigger?" Jazza pretended to be offended.

"No no I mean," she belabored to explain, fumbling over her words, "We're just build differently!"

She smirked at Jesseye's tomato face and tossed the shorts into her bed, "Surrree," she slunk back down stairs,"Thanks jess. Real boost a confidence."

"I-i didn't mean it that way!"

"Mhm!" Jazzebella laughed as she returned to her *own* closet. Jesseye was so easily distracted. She'd figure something out before time ran out.

*^##*^%#*^%#*^%#*^%#*

Jazzabella tightened the string bow of her skates with a sassy snap of her wrist. It was 6:01. Where was he?

-----

Tony sucked in a breath for courage before lugging the door of their one story skating rink open. Jazza's threat rang in his ears.

While paying for his entry, he glanced around the crowded room to find his date grimacing at him from a far. Her menacing dark eyes glinted just under the neon sign woven into 'Get your Skate *On*!'

Even the hard wood floor seemed to groan with annoyance as he neared his most-likely angry girlfriend, "You're *late*." She stated the obvious, secretly admiring his gumption.

Anndd, Tony immediately began apologizing. "I-i know, I'm sorry.." he cleared his throat while she shook her head. "I was about ta leave then one of the guys, Alejandro, needed me last minute." he smiled weakly then continued to blubber on, "Sorry. Couldn't really," he looked down at his greasy uniform, "Y'know, change. Wanted to shower but I--"

Jazzabella, sick after only a couple minutes of his pathetic whimpering, drug him by the collar across the room,"No worries, Tones. What really matters is if ya can skate," she explained, leading him to get fitted.

"I, um--"

"What's your size?" the boy, name tagged, 'Jace' curtly interrupted.

With a gulp Tony tore his eyes from her to the maybe twenty year old skate manager behind his counter. Jace's purple bubble gum popped and he jumped. "..Size 13?" Jace nodded and turned away to examine his racks of short, blue and red painted leather quads.

Jazzabella glanced back with a brow raised curiously,"Ya can, right?"

He rubbed his neck,"Y-yeah, of course."

Taking note of his shakey confidence, Jazza started skating slowly around the edge. "So Alejandro, hmm? Why'd you take his shift?"

"Scheduling, y'know he's divorced?" she nodded, he stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Well, he's gotta kid too. Wasn't supposed to have him till next week, but," Tony sighed deeply at the tediousness of their speed, "His ex had ta leave town, so.."

"He's got the kid." Jazzabella finished for him. Humming lightly to the song resonating from above, she did a little twist. "Ya know any tricks?" He nodded then turned around to skate backwards. "Ain't bad. Anything else?"

"Depends," he shrugged his shoulders, "You got anything more than a twist?"

A smirk crept onto her lush lips, "Course I can, Cadillac. Who do you think I am?"

"Jazzabella Duchant." he answered smartly. She scoffed, but just for him, drew an X with her skates. He raised an eyebrow. "An X, impressive."

Jazza's mouth twisted more devilishly. She drew *just* close enough to get his heart beating. "What can *you* do?"

Skating a bit from the crowd, Tony chuckled deeply. The competition was on. She watched expectantly. X: Right over left, hop to a switch, X: left over right, turn, twist, X. The crowd grew mesmorized at his circle of rotating X's. "How's this?"

Jazzabella huffed and glanced over her shoulder. "It ain't bad."

He smirked lightly,"No?" She was impressed.

"No, but don't think you've won."

"Of course not."

Jazza waited a moment for the song to climb then took her chance. She weaved through the large crowd to the middle, caught speed, and jumped, twisting into the air. *Now* Tony smirked. "That was another twist, Jazza."

She bristled. "So?"

"So you," he paused to weave through to her, "Are basically, a one trick pony."

Fire lit in her tawny eyes. She crossed her arms, "I am, not."

Tony leaned real close to whisper, "Then prove it to me." into her ear.

"Hoo," she purred along with her tingling spine, "It's. On!"

As the rounds progressed their competition became more like a dance than a set of tricks, and each song was better than the last. Jazzabella watched him not only relax but thrive amongst the climbing beat of the electronic music. His moves were wild—exotic. The skates made him quick and confident.

Witnessing him like this took her breath away.

Tony smirked at her unguarded expression. "Can you top it?" he doubted she could.

Oh that was the last straw for her. His exhilierated dance partner grasped hold of his jaw and kissed him, strongly.

Utterly surprised, he could hardly react to her full lips pressing fervently against his. Was this really happening? She chuckled at *his* unguarded expression. "How's that for topping it?"

"Good." he admitted, placing his calloused palm on the small of her back, "But I can do better."

"You thin—?" he couldn't wait for her frisky retort. She didn't care enough to break from his embrace and finish.

Together they spun under the dazzling light of the mirror ball, locked in the release of long bound sexual tension.

Time and tempo seemed to fade into the background. Their competition shifted yet again from a dance to a battle of wills. Who would break first?

Jazzabella. Groaning, she had to give way to her strangled lungs. But, she didn't exactly fight to escape his arms. "You. Are…" her date heaved in air. Oh there were so many words he could use to finish that sentence, 'Magnificent, sensational, sexy, bold, everything I want…' "Amazing."

"A-amazing?" she asked through a harsh breath. His forehead rubbed vertically against hers. How thankful he was that she gave him another chance. Truthfully, he'd thought it was all over after their last shitty date.

"Thank you… Tony." She answered softly. She just wished she had considered him earlier, way earlier, like in high school before her life fell apart.

"I've liked you forever, Jazz." he confessed before he could stop himself.

For once she looked sheepish in nature, "I know." Poor Tony had watched it all, waiting, yearning, hoping. He'd always been a part of her life… just never a major part. "Thanks for being so patient."

If only she'd been smarter back then. If only she'd chosen more wisely. If only she had listened to Gramps and wisened up after the first jealous guy. "You wanna hear the truth?"

A gentle smile spread across his face. "Sure."

Jazzabella gazed deeply into his mossy green eyes, "I've admired you for a while too." she said with sweet sincerity, "Watching you rise ta grow the restaurant, the respect ya give your employees and customers alike, seeing how much ya love your mama's yungin's…" she confessed with small chuckle, lightly stroking his scruff, "I dunno, really think Gramps sent you at just the right time.

Can't thank you enough for all those hours you let me loiter at your bar. Your place, your face, kinda became like a solice. Sometimes I just... Couldn't stand seeing another vehicle."

"I understand." Tony replied through a like chuckle. He could say the same about Italian food, about her. "Anytime Jazzabella." She was so.. different than any other customer, any other person, he'd encountered.

*&^%$#*&^%$#*&^%$#*&^%$#*

"Soo," Jess's mouth twists mischeiviously, "How'd it go?"

Jazza shrugs while folding an apron her sis neglected to put up the day before. "Good."

Shane raises a brow. "Good?"

"Just good?!" His ginger girl practically screeched. Jesseye shook her vigorously by the shoulders, forcing a giggle from jazz.

"Okay, okay. It wasn't just good." she admits, driving Jess mad with the lack of detail.

Groaning she begs, "Jaaazzzaaa. Atleast tell me it was better than the mexican one."

Oh Jazzabella could hardly keep the smirk off her lips. She glances around the shop before leaning close to Jess's ear. "I kissed him, Jess."

Jesseye gasped loudly. "What?! You--" her squeal rang through the metal building.

Shane, chuckling, covered an ear. Her dark skinned sister nodded with the patience of a saint. "Did he—did he..." Jazza pressed her index onto Jess' lips, glancing over her shoulder to the male in the room, "Back?" Jess finished her question in an ill-concealed whisper.

Jazza shrugged once more then turned Jesseye around to the reason for her vaigeness. "Oohh."

"Yeah."

The male of the shop leaned his head back and chuckled deeply. How oblivious could she be?

"Hey Shanneeyy," she whined a call, "Could you um," she bit her lip, struggling to come up with a nice way to kick him out, "Y'know.."

"Sure. I'll grab us some pizza." And with a wink, he exited the building.

Jesseye watched and waited several excruciating minutes to make sure he was out of rang. "K, SPILL!"

Jazza chuckled lightly to herself. "Turns out Cad can skate. Well."

"Yeah? Yeah?"

She shook her head, "But he's humble about it. Wouldn't even had known if I hadn't dared him to doing somethin. I threw at him every trick I had and he jus.. " she exhaled a hot breath just remembering,"Took it. Grew confident. Started ta taunt me. *Really* flirt, Jess. Y'know what that does ta me. "

The ginger, nodding, snickered under her breath. Jazza *loved* confidence in a man. "Course. So you competed until it drove you mad?"

Miss DuChante smiled at her educated guess. "Yup. But he didn't react at first. Honestly.." Jazzabella swirled slowly around the cracked oak counter, "I pulled back from kissin' kinda worried.." Laughing a tad nervously, she filled through her two whole cubbards for some good ole oat meal. "What if I'd taken it too far? What if I misjudged him? What if he didn't *really* want me like...?" Jazzabella sighed at her breakfast's cardboard container. The names of her last couple suitors didn't matter. "I dunno. Cuz then," she glanced back to Jess with a smirk, "He kissed me, annndd," she mixed some powdery oats with water as she spoke, "Kissed me."

"Oo~!" Jess squealed.

"And I kissed him. Maybe it's cuz I've liked him for so long already, but.." Jazzabella crotched to grab a small sauce pan under the island and whispered, "I couldn't stop," Her fingers lingered on the slick silver handle of the pan, "He tasted so.."

"What? What'd you say? Jazzaaaa," Her sister's whiney voice snapped her back into reality. She straightened up with red tinted cheeks and immediately turned to the stove.

Jesseye sighed a dreamy sigh at Jazzebella's back. "I can't wait till Shane kisses me like that."

The mechanic rubbed her neck with one hand and poured a bit of cinnamon into her warming breakfast with the other. She doesn't normally go into the nitty gritty details. But Tony felt so different than all the others. "He will. Jus be patient," she advised before moving on to aptly summarizing the rest of the evening, "After he brought me drink. Shared some greasy fries. Talked about.. Life."

When Jazza came close enough with her bowl, Jesseye took her hand and squeezed it, "I'm glad you had such a good time."